Debutante Dramatics
by Miss-Imagine-Adair
Summary: "This?" Fred asks. He laughs as he picks up a doily. "You've been blowing us off for this?" "Not just the doilies," Daphne says. "My debutante ball!"
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first _Scooby-Doo_ story. I just recently found my love for the couple Shaggy & Daphne. Who knew they had so much chemistry? I wanted to explore that further. This came to mind and wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out of my system. In my opinion, it isn't my best idea dealing with them, but I wanted to try this one first. Just a note: in this story, I have them in their first year of high school.  
**

**Judge me on my writing, my character descriptions, my plot development, my _spelling_ even. I hope to be a better writer someday. I'll need all the help I can get. Criticism and praise are both welcome.**

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own _Scooby-Doo_. At all.  
**

* * *

**~Debutante Dramatics~**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

There is a sharp contrast that hurts the eyes after stepping out of a dark theater into the bright light of the afternoon sun. Shaggy blinks several times in order to adjust to the harsh change.

"I thought it was a great movie," Fred says. "What do you think, Velma?"

Velma adjusts her glasses. "Although it was littered with historical inaccuracies, I believed it to be well done. The plot was intriguing, the effects were believable, and the ending, admittedly, had me at the edge of my seat."

"How about you, Shag?" Fred asks his second movie buddy.

"It was pretty good," Shaggy agrees before turning his attention back to his half-finished bag of popcorn. He reaches into the container of buttery, salty goodness when someone taps him on the shoulder. Glancing back, he sees no one there. Oh well. Shaggy gives his attention back to his snack only to find it gone. A snigger of laughter quickly solves the mystery. The bag is currently covering the snout of Shaggy's closest companion, the Great Dane himself, Scooby-Doo.

Shaggy snatches the bag back, but much to his dismay, it's too late. The bag is empty. Not even the old maids are left."

"Scoob! Like, I was going to finish that."

"Rorry, Raggy." By the dog's satisfied look it is clear he is anything but.

The teen sighs at the bottom of the bag. Even though it was his fourth bag of popcorn, added to his two drinks and three different kinds of candy, he was still hungry.

"It's too bad Daphne had to miss it," Velma comments. There is a moment of silence before Velma changes the subject, and she and Fred follow a different conversation. Shaggy only half listens to their chatter. His mind returns to the aforementioned friend.

The fifth member of the group, Daphne Blake, who usually joins them, was currently busy with "family matters" as she put it. It was the only thing she would say when questioned about her _extremely_ busy schedule as of late. Usually, she is as inseparable to the gang as Scooby is to Shaggy.

Daphne has helped solve what mysteries come their way. The jobs are small, and they come infrequently, but it is fun when they happen. Many fond memories are associated with Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Norville (Shaggy) Rogers, and Scooby-Doo running from a ghoul, ghost, or monster. Shaggy's personal favorite was the time they saved the local ice cream shop from the _Frightening Freezer_. The owner was so happy he gave the kids free ice cream every day for a week.

When they were kids, they encountered a frequent number of mysteries, but upon entering their first year in high school, they have hit a lull (though Shaggy has the sinking feeling it's just a phase and more are to come). Less mysteries have come their way. They don't exactly go out looking for them, much to Shaggy's relief, but the lack of mysteries has not hindered the group's closeness. They remain tight by doing activities like the ones today.

And yet, Daphne isn't with them.

She has not suddenly taken to other people, leaving her childhood friends in the dust. Everyone who knows Daphne knows she would never do such a thing. Although Miss Blake can be danger-prone and a little airheaded occasionally, she is also strong-willed, talented, and very caring, especially when it comes to her companions.

The absence of her has left Shaggy slightly downtrodden. When they go to movies together, Daphne always orders a medium bag of popcorn with a box of gumdrops. She finishes the gumdrops but only half of her popcorn. That half a bag usually ends up in the hands of Shaggy. Not only that, but she is a quiet movie watcher. The only noise she ever makes is a gasp if frightened or if a plot twist occurs. And she never pays any mind to Shaggy and Scooby's chomping and slurping. That's Freddy's area of annoyance. He is the one to comment on their loud eating habits during the movie to which Daphne quiets him with a sharp "Shush!"

"Jinkies!" Velma's exclamation brings the young beatnik out of his thoughts. She points to something across the street. There in front of _Harry's Dirt-be-Gone Dry-cleaning_ is Daphne. She has her cell phone glued to her ear and her foot taps impatiently. Since she is facing the dry-cleaners, she does not see them.

Shaggy can feel his mood lifting. He cups his mouth with his hands and prepares to shout to her, but someone else beats him to the punch.

"Hey, Daph!" Freddy shouts.

Daphne turns. When she finds the source of the noise her eyes grow wide. She snaps her phone shut and rushes to cross the street. She doesn't even look at the boys, attention solely on sweater-clad Velma.

"Where have you been?" Daphne asks. By her worried tone Shaggy begins to think something terrible has happened. "I have been trying to reach you for the last half an hour. I phoned Freddy and Shaggy and even your parents. I would have phoned Scooby-Doo if he had a cell phone."

Everyone is taken aback by Daphne's unexpected mood. The redhead is generally even tempered and cheerful. Anxiety seems to have taken their place. Because this is such a rare occurrence, Shaggy's previous fear grows stronger.

Velma shrinks away from her friend's harsh tone. "I was at the movies with Freddy, Shaggy and Scooby. We turned off our cell-phones so the movie wouldn't be interrupted."

As Velma explains, Daphne's panicked expression relaxes. "Oh. I see…Jeepers, I'm sorry, Velma. I didn't mean to snap at you." She puts a hand to her forehead in a dramatic gesture. "It's the stress. I'm going to get a zit, I know it. I really need to schedule a yoga session."

Scooby-Doo gently nudges her hand. "Rou Rokay, Raphne?"

Daphne smiles. And with that smile the old Daphne has returned, cheerful as ever. She bends down and scratches Scooby behind the ears. "Yes, I'm alright, Scooby-Doo. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"What's got you stressed, Daphne?" Fred asks.

Daphne gives an exasperated sigh. "I'm in a hurry." She turns to Velma. "Can you come back to my place? I would really like your opinion on something."

"On what particularly?" Velma asks. A small bubble of prideful joy begins to form in the girl. Being particularly smart, Velma has taken the title as the "Brains" of the group. Whenever she is called upon for her expert opinion, she can't help but enjoy the feeling being useful gives her.

"What dress I should wear for—" Daphne stops. She fixes her hair in an attempt to hide her slip-up. "What dress looks best on me."

Velma's bubble pops. "But, Daphne, clothes are your area of expertise."

"Yeah, Daph," Shaggy intervenes. "What's so important that you gotta get a second opinion on an outfit?" Daphne has always been the one ahead of the curve for everything fashionable. Although she does not press her friends to change their looks, she usually keeps her style up-to-date, but still sticking to her signature colors of purple and green with the occasional pink thrown in. This is why Shaggy is surprised Daphne feels insecure enough to seek a second opinion on_ clothing_.

"It's nothing. Just a family thing," Daphne says. She waves her hand, hoping to brush away the conversation. She takes Velma's hand. "So can you come?"

"Well, I—"

"Hold on a minute." Fred steps between the two girls, breaking their hand contact. Being a natural leader and taking on that role among the group, Freddy likes to be informed about the goings on in his friends' lives. Using his authority voice he says, "For the past month you have been ignoring, avoiding, and all around excluding yourself from us. We are your friends, and being your friends, we have a right to know what's taking you away from us."

Although Daphne follows Fred as loyally as the others, she is not pleased at the use of his "authority voice" on her. She crosses her arms and glares. "My business is my business, Freddy. I can keep it from you if I want to."

Freddy isn't backing down, though. "Since when does that matter? We have shared everything with each other before we could crawl. This is no different."

There are daggers in Daphne's eyes. Shaggy does not want a fight to break out between his friends. Staying true to the era his look is modeled after, he tries to make peace.

Shaggy puts a hand on Daphne's shoulder. She turns her anger in his direction, but once she sees who it is touching her, she calms down. Slightly. Shaggy takes this as a good sign and tries to calm her further. "We don't mean any harm, Daph. We're just worried. We haven't seen you in, like, forever, and we miss you."

It works. Daphne's shoulders droop. She shuffles her feet then immediately stops, not wanting to scuff her favorite pair of purple flats. The young teen scrunches her nose which tells Shaggy she is thinking very hard about something. Her nose always wrinkles when she concentrates. He picked up on that detail among many others over the years.

From thoughtfulness, to concern, to uncertainty, to determination, Daphne's latest emotion baffles them all. Her face brightens significantly. She grabs Shaggy's hand, surprising the poor boy, and begins dragging him down the street. "You all want to know what's been going on? I'll show you. Come with me." Daphne continues dragging Shaggy. Although his legs are rather long, adding to his lanky form, he has to rush to keep up with Daphne's quick pace. Freddy, Velma, and Scooby-Doo quickly catch up and follow Daphne as she leads them to her home.

* * *

At first glance, the Blake Mansion is rather intimidating. Although Shaggy has been a guest at Daphne's house countless times he never fails to feel somewhat daunted.

The doormen open the giant doors when Miss Blake comes forward. Inside the house is possibly bigger than the outside makes it to be. The marble pillars, the vast ceiling, the numerous stairs. Daphne doesn't blink an eye when the maids and butlers she passes by give her a small bow. Shaggy had once asked her if it ever stopped being cool. Daphne laughed and told him she got sick of it after her "princess phase" back when she was six. Now it has become so a part of her life she doesn't give it a thought anymore.

"Miss Blake," one of the butlers says, "your mother wishes to know if you have made a decision on—"

"Yes, I know," Daphne interrupts. "Thank you. That will be all, Jenkins."

"Yes, Miss Blake." Jenkins bows then walks away with his hands behind his back and his shoulders squared like every other butler here.

Daphne stops in front of two hand-carved, wooden doors. She gives her friends a nervous smile before opening them wide.

What's inside is not what anyone would have expected the girl to fret over. Papers strewn over several tabletops, paint color samples, doilies, and multiple types of flowers to name a few of the random items.

_Party supplies_.

"This is it," Daphne says, spreading her arm wide to gesture to the entire room.

"This?" Fred asks. He laughs as he picks up a doily. "You've been blowing us off for _this?_"

"Not just the doilies," Daphne says. "Everything that's in this room and then some. I've been planning a party."

"A party?" Shaggy asks, picking up a picture of an elaborately decorated white cake. Whatever party it is he wants to go just for a sample of this cake.

"What kind of party?" Velma asks.

Daphne heads over to an end table and opens the top drawer. She takes out several picture frames and sets them out. Each showcases one of Daphne's older sisters wearing a white dress, standing at the top of their grand staircase, smiling that winning Blake smile.

"My debutante ball!" Daphne exclaims excitedly.

"Ah, yes," Velma says. The confused look on the boys' faces makes Velma explain further. "Debutante is French for 'female beginner'. A debutante ball occurs when a young lady from an aristocratic or upper-class family reaches what is considered an adult age. The ball is to formally introduce them into society, allowing the girls to take the title of 'woman' and finally become eligible to marry."

"Rarry?" Scooby's ears perk up.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaims.

"Relax, guys," Daphne laughs. "I'm not getting married. That's only a small part of it. It's more about my acceptance into adulthood than finding a husband."

Shaggy clutches his heart and breathes deeply. Marriage. They were barely fifteen. Marriage was not a top priority in Shaggy's mind. It wasn't even in the top ten. Dating on the other hand…

"Why didn't you want us finding out about this?" Fred asks. "It's not so bad. Definitely not worth ignoring us."

Daphne blows her bangs out of her face and gives a breathy laugh. "I'm sorry, you guys. I really am. I just…I was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? Why would you be embarrassed? This is wonderful," Velma says. She places a friendly hand on Daphne's arm. Daphne gives her a weak smile.

"It's a huge deal in our family. I know none of you have ever really been to one or dealt with them, and I thought you would think it silly, especially the amount of time it takes up to plan. But I should have known better. You guys are my friends. You don't judge me. Or my family, thank goodness. Which makes it all the worse that I ignored you."

"It's no sweat, Daph," Fred says cheerily. He wraps an arm around her shoulder and squeezes her in a half-hug.

Daphne smiles at his reassurance. "It turns out it needed more attention than I thought. At first it was only little things keeping me away. But then it grew into who was I inviting, what type of cake did I want, and now what dress am I going to wear. It doesn't help that the four other girls who are doing this with me can't agree on their lipstick color, let alone anything to do with our party. They infuriate me, but I won't let those china dolls get in my way. This is the most important decision of my teenage life." Daphne grabs Velma's shoulders. "That's why I need your opinion, Velma. I'm stuck between three dresses, and it's killing me!"

Velma smiles. "I'd be happy to help you, Daphne. _Eep!_" The girl's oxygen supply is promptly cut off when her friend's arms wrap around her in a tight embrace.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou_thankyou_!"

"Like, easy, Daph. You don't want to strangle her, do you?" Shaggy laughs.

Daphne pulls away. "Sorry, Velma. I don't want to crush you, especially before I get your input."

"Jinkies." Velma coughs lightly, restoring her full lung capacity.

The next instant, Daphne is dragging Velma away, much like she did with Shaggy earlier. She stopped at the door and turned around. Smiling, she says, "Of course, you are all invited. It's a formal event. Suit and ties. Including you, Scooby-Doo."

"Re? I ran rome?" Scooby's tail wagged excitedly.

"Yes, you can come. But you must be on your best behavior. That means leaving some food for the other guests. You too, Shaggy."

Shaggy ducked his head sheepishly. "Will do, Daphne."

Daphne smiled. "You guys are the best, you know that? You're formal invitations should be in the mail any day now. As soon as I convince Mother my choice of lace is better suited."

After Daphne exits the room with Velma in tow, Fred slaps Shaggy on the back. "Whelp, might as well head home. Knowing Daphne, she will have Velma going at this for hours."

"Yeah, no kidding. C'mon Scoob." Shaggy takes his dog's collar and pulls him away from the picture of cake he has been drooling over.

* * *

**So...Chapter 1. Tell me what you think! Authors love feedback. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Adair**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Debutante Dramatics~**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

The invitation came four days later. It was white and lacy with gold lettering. Shaggy had told his mother about Daphne's party, but it was not until the frilly invitation came that she truly began to get excited.

"A tux. We need to rent you a tuxedo. Oh, you will look so adorable," she cooed.

Scooby-Doo snickered. Shaggy shot him a glare. It did nothing to lessen the laughter. "What's, like, wrong with my blue one?" he asked.

"Do we need to bring a gift? Or is this more of a your-presence-is-enough event? Of course, a little gift to give her after the event wouldn't be a bad idea. Did Daphne say anything about presents?"

"She didn't say anything about getting a present."

"And your hair. Sweetheart, I know you usually like to keep it as is, but you will need to comb it or something. This is a very special event."

"I know, Mom. I know."

Shaggy _did_ know. In fact, after his mother's constant badgering about what he must or mustn't do was starting to make him nervous. The scrawny youth was not familiar with such parties. Sure, some of Daphne's birthday parties had been more proper upon her parents' persistence, and he had had to wear nicer clothes and wash the smudge of dirt off of his face that always seemed to appear out of nowhere. But never before had he attended something so high up on the classy scale.

A million uneasy feelings washed through Shaggy. He cared about Daphne. She was his friend. A really, really good friend of whom he may or may not feel slightly flustered around because his heart speeds up and his lungs don't seem to work properly. He didn't want to do anything to embarrass her. Especially on such an important night for her. And his mother was _not_ helping to calm his nerves. But she was helping to get him ready so he couldn't really complain.

"I almost forgot. We will have to go shopping to get a new pair of shoes for you. And socks. And—"

A shrill ring cut the woman off.

Shaggy beamed as he pulled his phone from his pocket, eternally grateful to whomever the caller was who got him out of his mother's ramblings. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Shaggy._"

Shaggy's heart kicked up half a notch. "Hiya, Daphne. Like, what's up?"

"_I was wondering if you could stop by my house immediately and then possibly tell my parents I had a prior engagement with you for which I am running late? I would really appreciate it_."

"What for?"

"_I can't tell you right now. I only have a few seconds. They'll be back and then I'll be trapped. Please just do it. I promise to treat you to burgers, or hot dogs, or frozen yogurt, or_—"

"Like, say no more, Daph. Scooby-Doo and I are on our way."

Another voice on Daphne's end of the phone can be heard. "_I have to go. __**Please hurry**_." A quick request then _click_. Daphne hangs up.

"That was Daphne?" Shaggy's mother asks. He nods. "Did she say anything about bringing gifts?"

"No, Mom. I have to go."

Her son is already halfway out the door when Mrs. Rogers calls after him, "Be back before dark!"

Ten minutes later, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are standing in front of the large double doors of the Blake Mansion. Before ringing the doorbell, however, they stop to catch their breath. It surprised Scooby that Shaggy could run so fast while not being chased by a ghost. But after thinking about it, it was not all that surprising. This was, after all, Daphne they were helping out. Not that Shaggy left Velma out to dry when she needed his help, but still.

"I want a rink," Scooby declares.

"You can have a drink…" Shaggy pants, "after we help…Daphne out."

Shaggy rings the doorbell. The large sound reverberates throughout the entire house. A butler opens the door.

"Yes?" he asks pointedly when he gets sight of Shaggy.

"I'm here to see Daphne," Shaggy declares.

"Miss Blake is currently occupied. Come back later or make an appointment."

The butler begins to shut the door.

"No, wait!" Shaggy puts his foot in the door. "I do have an appointment. Well, actually, Daphne has an appointment somewhere else, but she's late so I came to get her. Can you, like, at least ask her please?"

The butler doesn't look too pleased, but he opens the door wider, allowing Shaggy and Scooby-Doo to walk inside.

"Stay here," is the butler's only order before strutting away. No, wait. It isn't. He turns back at the top of the stairs and calls down, "And keep your dog in line."

"Rog? Where?" Scooby-Doo appears confused as he looks around.

Shaggy scowls at the retreating figure. What rotten cheese did _he_ eat?

A different butler, one Shaggy actually recognized, comes forward. He looks at the stairs then back at Scooby. "Forgive Mr. Fredrick please, Mr. Doo. He is new and not yet aware of all the goings on at Blake Mansion. Can I get you something to eat while you wait for Miss Blake?"

Shaggy smiled. He could see Scooby still desired a drink, but Daphne told Shaggy she wanted to get rescued from this place. Something keeping them in the house would not be good. "Like, no thanks, Jenkins."

"Then that will be all?"

"Yep."

"Rep."

"Very well." Jenkins gave each party a slight bow. "Mr. Rogers. Mr. Doo." He then turned and walked away.

Shaggy and Scooby wait a few more minutes before they finally hear chatter from upstairs. Scooby-Doo raises his ear. He picks out Daphne's voice along with that of both her parents, but there are other voices. Voices he does not recognize. Voices he does not like.

The new butler appears at the top of the stairs. He quickly steps to the side as Daphne rushes down the stairs, followed by her parents, two unknown adults and a boy. The boy keeps in step with Daphne while her parents try talking reason into her. The other two adults are whispering to themselves quietly as they watch the girl descend the stairs.

"Daphne, honestly. How could you forget you had plans when such good friends of ours were scheduled to come?" Mrs. Blake scolded.

"Young Master William, I am very sorry for the visit being cut short," Mr. Blake apologizes to the boy.

"It is alright. I know I shall have more time with Daphne down the road." Young Master William gives Daphne a charming smile which she pretends to not see.

Shaggy instantly dislikes Young Master William.

Daphne finally reaches Shaggy. The look of gratitude she gives him is brief because a second later Young Master Williams and the rest of the party reach them.

"Who might this be?" the boy asks in a heavy English accent.

"A friend," Daphne says. She places her hands on Shaggy's shoulders and begins guiding him to the door, but is stopped by a sharp, "Daphne!" from her mother. Daphne sighs and turns Shaggy back towards Young Master William. "Shaggy, William. William, Shaggy."

William sticks out his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Daphne's is a friend of mine."

Shaggy takes William's hand. It surprises Shaggy how tight the English boy's grip is. When he lets go, Shaggy feels the need to massage his hand, but resists because of the judgmental looks he is getting from William's parents. Scooby gives the throbbing hand a lick. Shaggy scratches the back of his ears gratefully.

"And who is this?" William asks. He reaches down to pet Scooby-Doo, but Scooby, seeing what the boy did to Shaggy, growls in protest. William retracts his hand in fear.

Shaggy again pets Scooby behind the ears. The "Good boy, Scooby" goes without say.

"Don't mind ol' Scoob here. All bark, no bite."

"Exactly. Now may we please skedaddle? I don't want to be late. I can't thank you enough, Shaggy, for reminding me about my plans." Daphne tries shooing the boy and his dog towards the door.

"What exactly are your plans, Miss Blake?" One of the two strangers asks. Shaggy guesses they are William's parents. The man has the same accent as the boy.

"I had made an appointment with…" Daphne pauses before sneezing. "Oh. Pardon me. Yes. And I really must be getting to…" Another sneeze. "My goodness. What is in the air? Thank you for your visit. I am sorry to have to leave and cut it short. Come again any time."

Despite protests from her parents, Daphne manages to get Scooby and Shaggy out the door.

"Who—" Shaggy tries to ask, but Daphne holds her finger up to his mouth to silence him.

"Uh-uh. Not yet," she says quietly. Daphne quickens her pace, wanting to get far away from those people. She can still feel their eyes on her.

It is not until they are three and a half blocks away that Daphne finally slows down to a stop and parks herself on a bench. Shaggy takes a seat beside her. He would not be so winded after the fast walk if it were not for the fact he practically sprinted the entire way to her house. His legs are thankful for the break. Scooby-Doo flops himself down on the sidewalk. His tongue is out as he pants for air.

"Like…you gonna tell me...what's going on now?" Shaggy asks, still a little breathless.

Daphne, who had closed her eyes and leaned her head back, peered at him through one open eye.

She sighs and sits up straight, opening both eyes. "Sorry about that. I just could not think of any other way to get out of there. Thank you for saving me. You are officially my hero for the week."

Shaggy fights the blush tinting his cheeks. "I am happy to be of service to the beautiful princess."

Daphne blushes too. She fluffs her hair. "Thank you, but do not say that right now. I don't feel beautiful at the moment. I'm a mess. I am all flustered from running away from the Evil Prince Charming and his manipulative parents. They have my parents deep under their spell. It's a good thing my knight in shining armor showed up when he did."

In order to keep Daphne from seeing his deepening blush Shaggy bends over and scratches Scooby's back, allowing his rather long hair responsible for his nickname to shadow his face.

"Anything for you, Daph. But, like, who were they?"

"Reah," Scooby pipes in. "Rey are rot rice."

"No, they aren't nice," Daphne confirms. "The Johnson family is part of some high end British family. William's father is some sort of helper for the assistants of the royal family's long distant cousins or something. I don't even remember. But William uses that as an opening to tell me all the _fascinating_ things about his life," Daphne says sarcastically. She groans and drops the sarcasm. "I could not stand it one more minute. He is the most boring person on the face of the plant. Plus, he has problems with people in a lower rank than him."

"Oh yeah?" Shaggy says casually. His mind travels back to the tense handshake.

"Yes. Along with telling me all about his fortune, he manages to weasel into every conversation different ways he does not like the 'common folk'. He even said that my house was quaint. Quaint! I don't usually care about money, but that guy grinds my gears. Jeepers, I could just—just…I don't know, but I can promise you it will not be pretty."

Daphne slumps in her seat. Scooby-Doo senses her distress and lays his head on her lap. The girls smiles at the dog and pats his head.

Shaggy still can't figure out something. "Are they friends of the family or something?"

"Or something. We only recently met them through mutual friends. Because of their supposed importance, Mother thought it would be a good idea to have 'Young Master William' be my escort for my debutante. Ugh! How could she? She let my sisters pick their escorts. Why not me?"

"Who would you have picked?" Shaggy asked. He told himself to not hope for his name as her answer.

"_Anyone_ but him. I would have picked the guy that smells like moldy bread who works at the Laundromat over him."

"That bad huh?" Shaggy gives a small laugh. "Well, you are free now. Want to call up Fred and Velma and hang out someplace?"

Daphne groaned. "I don't want to be near more people. I've had my fill of them today." Shaggy is surprised by the antisocial remark from Daphne, the social butterfly herself. But when she suddenly brightens, he sees the butterfly coming back. "Let's go do something just the two of us."

"R-Really?" Shaggy stutters. He cannot help the grin as it spreads from ear to ear.

"Yeah! You and I haven't hung out in so long. And besides, I'm supposed to be attending a 'thing'. My parents won't expect me back for a while. I could use a break. What do you want to do?"

Shaggy shrugs. Anything would be fun. He would be with Daphne. Just him and her. And Scooby-Doo of course. But no Fred or Velma. He can't remember the last time they did something without them.

"Hmm." Daphne tapped her chin while in thought. Shaggy notices her nose scrunch. "I know!" she exclaims. "We can go miniature golfing."

"Groovy!" Shaggy's smile widens if that's possible. He loves miniature golfing. It helps that he is so good at it, but he isn't one to brag. And now he would be hanging out at one of his favorite places with one of his favorite people. This day has gotten significantly better. Shaggy holds out his arm. "Shall we, Princess?"

Daphne giggles and takes his arm. "We shall."

The rest of the day breezes by pleasantly. Shaggy and Daphne enjoy their time at _Pete's Put-Put Party Palooza_. Because Shaggy insists upon paying for the tickets to play, Daphne buys all the snacks. Scooby-Doo finally gets his drink. Even though Shaggy offers to pay for the snacks too, Daphne waves it off. She insists on it. After all, Shaggy had saved her and put off his whole day for her. It's the least she could do. Shaggy, being the gentleman his mother raised him to be, didn't like having a girl pay for him. So while they were playing, although Shaggy won, he did not drive her into the ground like he usually would when playing with the gang. He didn't _not_ beat her, though. Daphne would know if he threw the game. He is just too good at it. She wouldn't be pleased with the charity.

"You are going to be a putt-putt champion someday, Shaggy. I just know it," Daphne says as they walk to her house. Shaggy insisted upon escorting her back with Scooby-Doo trotting along loyally beside them. The sun is setting and Daphne is sure the snooty family is gone. They never stay anywhere after eight that is not a formal event.

"Maybe," Shaggy says, shrugging.

"Don't be so modest. You're really good."

"Like, thanks, Daph."

"I speak only the truth."

"Oh, hey, my mom wanted me to ask, do we have to bring you gifts for your debu-thing?"

"Debutante," Daphne corrects. The short pause before answering tells Shaggy more than the verbal answer he is given. "No. You being there is present enough for me."

"They're required aren't they?" Shaggy calls her bluff.

Daphne bites her lip. "Sort of, but you don't have to get me anything! Really."

"What do you usually get for something like this?" Now that he knows it is proper to get a giftShaggy is determined to get her the best.

"Nothing really important. Jewelry, money to donate to a preferred charity, jeweled picture-frames, other things…"

"Zoinks," Shaggy mutters. No wonder Daphne didn't want him to know about the gifts. They're expensive. Daphne is trying to save him the trouble.

"But as I said before, you being there is present enough. I have enough jewelry to spare and who cares about money? I just want you there, Shaggy. Please?"

In Daphne's insistence, she links both her arms with one of Shaggy's and pulls him to a stop. She looks at him until he makes eye-contact. The determination in Daphne's eyes reminds Shaggy of her stubbornness. She won't let him go until he agrees. So he does.

"Alright. Like, no presents."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good. You can tell the others too. I just want my friends there. My real friends."

They resume walking. Shaggy notices that Daphne does not unlink their arms. He doesn't mention it in case she comes to her senses and breaks the contact.

Blake Manor is soon reached. That is when Daphne releases Shaggy.

"Thanks for today, Shaggy," she says with a smile.

Shaggy gulps. He notices that the colors of the sunset match Daphne's hair and make it glow at this time of day. "Like, no problem."

"Rey," Scooby says indignantly.

Daphne giggles. She reaches down and scratches the Great Dane's neck before bending over and kissing the top of his head. "Thank you to you too Scooby-Doo."

Scooby smiles and gives a quiet "Raw" before ducking his head bashfully.

"So, like, when will we see you next?" Shaggy asks. He wouldn't mind "rescuing" Daphne again.

"Actually, this might be the last time we see each other before the party. The other debutantes are coming tomorrow and staying until the party. We're going over the details of the party—again. Which means I'll be too busy to escape. I'm sorry." Daphne doesn't have to fake the disappointment in her voice.

"Oh." Shaggy's voice matches hers in sadness.

"But I'll see you at the party, right?" Daphne asks.

"Yeah, of course."

"Great." Daphne opens the door a crack before stopping. She pauses then turns around and throws her arms around Shaggy's neck. "Thank you again, Shaggy. I'm lucky to have you around. You're a great friend." Just as quickly as it happened, it ends. Daphne disappears behind the large doors that close with a loud _thunk_.

"Raggy? Raaaaagy?" Scooby nudges the hand of his loving owner who remains immobile. Scooby-Doo stands on his hind paws and push his owner with his forelegs. Shaggy stumbles backwards, also stumbling out of his Daphne-induced trance.

"What? Oh. Thanks Scoob." Shaggy pats his best friend's head.

"Reah, reah, reah," Scooby chuckles. He can't help but be amused at his friend's goofy smile. It isn't the first time a certain red-head has scrambled the young man's brain.

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo reach home half an hour after the sky turns dark. Half an hour after his mother told him to be home. She gives him an earful until he gets in that he asked Daphne about the gifts and no, he doesn't have to bring one. Mrs. Rogers seems relieved to hear this, and it eases her mood somewhat, but she still orders her son to march upstairs to his room.

Shaggy lies on his bed, staring at his brightly colored ceiling. Presents may not be required from close friends, specifically him by request, but that hasn't stopped the beatnik's mind from searching for something. What did Daphne say again was appropriate for these things?

Jewelry: no.

Money: no.

Fancy-schmancy Picture Frame: No.

That last one does give him an idea, though. Shaggy gets off his bed and seats himself at his desk. He pulls out the needed supplies and gets to work. It may not be the expensive stuff she's use to, but he's going to try his best to make her smile.

* * *

**Points to anyone who can name the What's New Scooby-Doo? Episode where Shaggy is a putt putt Champion. It's canon there. I promise.  
**

**Read, review, enjoy!**

**~Adair**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone! Just wanted to say thank you for all the great reviews and support. I am so glad you all are enjoying the story. I hope to keep making it great. (To the best of my ability.) **

**Heads up: there is a tiny bit of Frelma in this chapter. Yeah-I ship them too. _Little_ bit :)  
**

**Final chapter is next. Enjoy and tell me what you think!  
**

**~Adair**

* * *

**Debutante Dramatics**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The grass is a vibrant green. The temperature is perfect for being outside all day and just enjoying life. The pleasant sounds of kids playing, adults chatting, birds singing, and dogs barking fill the air. An overall happy feeling circles the park as people take a stroll on this lovely day.

It was an excellent day for a football game. That was the idea Fred Jones had. It didn't take too long to find other willing participants. Soon he had two teams made, him being team captain of one of them, who then began a friendly game of touch football.

The yellow haired teen had attempted to get Shaggy in on the game, but the beatnik preferred watching from the sidelines with four or five hotdogs from the local vendor along with two drinks. Scooby-Doo had the same, but after eating his in record time he headed off to greet the other dogs roaming around. So Shaggy is currently sitting next to Velma on one of the few picnic tables, watching the ongoing game.

Shaggy is actually quite surprised at how long Velma has been sitting there with a perfectly good (and rather long, in Shaggy's opinion) book and not picked it up. Instead her eyes are trailed on the game. More specifically a certain team captain in an ascot.

A touchdown is made. Shaggy is startled when a usually quiet, calculating Velma suddenly jumps from her seat and throws her hands in the air.

"Yeah! Way to go Freddie," she shouts. Fred hears the praise and shoots Velma a smile and a wink. The genius girl immediately sits back down and grabs her novel. She opens it and buries her nose in, pretending to read. Not before Shaggy noticed the blush splashed across her features.

"What do you think, Velma? Like, is Fred going to win?" Shaggy asks his friend. Velma barely lifts her eyes from the book to give him her famous "duh" look. Shaggy gets those a lot from her. He's use to them.

"Just go get another hotdog, you bottomless pit." She tries to sound harsh, but the small smile fighting at the corners of her mouth gives away her amusement.

"Like, don't mind if I do," Shaggy says. He gets up from his spot and hums lightly to himself as he confidently walks back to the hotdog vendor. "Four of your finest hotdogs, please, my good man."

"Heh heh, sure thing Rogers." The vendor is no stranger to Shaggy. What with the beatnik being his best customer and all. He goes heavy on the condiments and hands the nearly overstuffed dogs to the customer.

"Thank you," Shaggy says, beaming. He turns to walk back to the bench when his arms suddenly feel lighter. Looking down, Shaggy mentally does a recount. "Hey! I'm down one dog. Like, didn't I order four?"

The small chuckle he hears from behind is a dead giveaway, but it isn't the laugh Shaggy expected to hear when food goes missing. It's not deep, jester-like to the brink of maniacal. This laugh was softer. Lighter. Nothing like Scooby-Doo's. Shaggy turned to find Daphne standing there, smiling at him.

"Daphne!" he exclaims, nearly dropping his food. His face breaks into a wide grin and he can feel his cheeks warming not unlike Velma's not too long ago. "Hey, how are you? What are you doing here?"

Daphne laughs again. The light sound not heard lately is music to the boy's ears. "Wow, Shaggy. I'm impressed. I 'borrow' a hotdog and you ask me how I'm doing before asking for your food back."

"Like, you can have it if you stay and eat it with me." Shaggy flushes further, realizing his mistake. "B-But only if, ya know, you wanna. I mean…Fred's playing football. And Velma—she and I are watching his game and you—"

Daphne can't help but laugh again. She hands the hotdog back to Shaggy, knowing better than to steal her friend's food. He may be a gentleman and share on occasion—when asked directly—but she knew how much he loved to eat.

"Thanks for the invitation. I'd love to, but I can't."

Shaggy tries not to let his disappointment show. The smile on his face has become forced. "Then what are you doing here?"

Daphne points behind her. For the first time, Shaggy notices the small group of people standing nearby. Their general appearance is very…disconcerting. There are four girls, each one wearing a frilly, but attractive, outfit not meant for the outdoors. Two pink dresses catch Shaggy's eye and he notices the girls wearing them are twins. Another girl with pasty skin contrasting a red skirt is trying to discreetly hide herself behind the two girls. The fourth, a taller girl with blonde hair and heels high enough to have her match the beatnik in height, is wearing sunglasses and looking around at the park distastefully.

"I'm playing tour guide," Daphne says reluctantly. "It was going pretty well. I showed them my favorite stores, but eventually I ran out of places with the latest fashions. I managed to convince them to stay fifteen minutes in the park for some fresh air before going back to put the finishing touches on the ball tomorrow. You're still coming right?"

Shaggy laughs. "Like, you have to ask?"

Daphne seems relieved to hear this. "Right, of course you are. I'm just—it's tomorrow, Shaggy. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. And—"

"Daphne, darling," the blonde struts forward to address the redhead, "aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh yes. Yes, I'm sorry." Daphne waves her hand as if waving off a stray thought. "Jessica, this is my friend Shaggy. Shaggy meet Jessica, one of the other girls participating in the ball."

"It's nice to meet you," Shaggy says, trying to sound confident. "I'd shake your hand, but…" Shaggy tries maneuvering the hotdogs so he is carrying them in one hand, but Jessica takes a half-step back and stops him.

"No. Don't go through the trouble."

"Oh. Alright."

"Shaggy," Daphne pulls him towards the rest of the girls. She gestures to the twins. "Meet Tammy and Tally. And the one on the other side of them is Chloe."

"Pleasure," Tammy and Tally say in unison while simultaneously giving a slight bow. Chloe barely raises her hand for a wave.

"Daphne, darling," Jessica says, once again tagging the fake endearment to the girl's name, "are we through here? I would like to finish things up at the house."

"You agreed to fifteen minutes, Jessica. It's only been five. I have to go say hi to Velma and Freddie yet. Why not take a walk around? Enjoy the day. I'll be right b—" Daphne is abruptly cut off by something running into her back and knocking her over. On top of Daphne's tackled figure is a very elated Scooby-Doo who proceeds to lick her face after letting out a joyous "Raphne!"

"Hi, Scooby!" Daphne exclaims between laughing fits. Shaggy laughs as well at the enthusiastic Great Dane. That is until he glances over and notices the four other debutantes watching on in horror. Jessica especially Shaggy can tell because she turns away and flips her hair in a dismissive gesture.

"I rissed rou."

"I missed you too, but I have to breathe, Scooby," Daphne gasps. "Please get off."

"Rorry." Scooby-Doo allows the girl to get to her feet. Daphne smiles and pats him affectionately.

"There's nothing to apologize for. Just keep in mind, after tomorrow, I'll be around so much you'll probably get sick of me."

"Like, I don't think that's possible," Shaggy says.

"Well," Daphne says resolutely, "we will have to test that, won't we? But later. I have a limited amount of time, and I have yet to say hi to either Velma or Freddie. If you'll excuse me."

Daphne walks away leaving Shaggy, Scooby, and the debutantes alone in each others' company. Shaggy tentatively glances at the girls. He startles back when he sees four pairs of eyes staring back. An awkward smile crosses his face. The smile is not returned, but the awkwardness seems to grow. So with a hotdog filled hand, he waves goodbye and abruptly moves to where Daphne and Velma are talking. But before he gets there, Daphne is off on the field to greet Fred. Thankfully it happens to be a timeout when she runs out there full speed. Fred greets her with open arms, picking her up and twirling her around. Shaggy watches while absentmindedly chewing on the first of his hotdogs.

"I'm glad her debutante ball is almost over," Velma says. "I miss having her around."

"Like, yeah," Shaggy says. Daphne is talking animatedly with Fred. Fred says something and Daphne looks around as if finally noticing the other players. She smiles and gives a small, embarrassed wave, probably apologizing for interrupting their game. They don't seem to mind. They laugh and elbow one another in the side as they point to the friendly interaction.

See? It wasn't just Shaggy who missed Daphne's company. Her sunshiny presence and happy demeanor helps brighten people and places alike. Whoever she interacts with is influenced for the better. Not having her around lately has affected the gang's mood significantly. It's as if they is off balance. The group needs everyone's participation or things become offset. Odd. Wrong. But Shaggy tries not to dwell on the bad. The debutante ball is tomorrow night and after it Daphne will be around more often, and the gang will be back to operating smoothly, hanging out and solving mysteries like they should.

Shaggy suddenly feels off again. The hotdogs feel lighter again. He looks down to realize the hotdogs aren't just lighter, they aren't even there! Shaggy snaps his head up to see Scooby-Doo running away with the three missing hotdogs sticking out of his mouth.

"Hey!" Shaggy shouts. He begins the chase. All Scooby had to do was ask, but _no_. He seems to find pleasure in taking _Shaggy's food_ and making him suffer. As if the beatnik didn't get enough exercise running from ghosts, ghouls, and monsters alike, he has to deal with his best friend's antics too.

Miraculously, one of the shiny wrapped hotdogs is dropped. Shaggy bends over to pick it up, but he recoils. His face scrunches in disgust as he realizes the paper is covered in dog slobber. He unwraps it to find that the food itself is untainted. Shaggy smiles in victory. At least he has another. Two for him and two for Scooby-Doo. That's fair.

The beatnik stands to leave, but stops when he hears his name. He looks around until he spots the debutantes. He is beside a tree that stands in between him and them. They haven't noticed their audience.

"What kind of name is Shaggy anyway?" Jessica is saying. "Hmph. I cannot believe her friends. She hangs out with such…weirdoes."

Shaggy holds his breath, hoping he isn't noticed as he continues to listen. He has eavesdropped before, usually for mysteries, but when he or his friends are involved he considers the deed justified.

"We agree," the twins say in unison. Their voices are bored, however, leading Shaggy to wonder if they actually agree or are just going along with the lead girl's loud opinion. Chloe says nothing, continuing to stand there and shuffle her feet.

"That other girl, Velma I think—she's a nerd. It's painfully obvious. She brings a book to the park. Dead giveaway. And her clothes? Don't get me started. But I suppose Daphne has a good reason. Keeping a nerd around to do her homework. Smart thinking. I do the same on occasion."

"Good idea, Jessica," Tammy or Tally says. Shaggy has no idea which is which.

"You are clever, Jessica." Tammy/Tally says.

"But she did get one thing right. Fred Jones. Girls, look and behold a wonderful specimen of the perfect teenage boy. Strong, handsome, popular, _and_ plays football. What more could a girl ask for? Much better than the other boy. _Shaggy_." Jessica nearly spits the name. "He is in dire need of a haircut and decent advice on clothing."

Shaggy tugs at a piece of his hair. He likes his hair. He thought Daphne did too. She has ruffled his hair playfully plenty of times before, claiming he looks cute with it all all messy. Also after running away from a monster Shaggy's hair becomes even more unruly. Daphne often takes him aside to run her fingers through his hair and make it semi-decent again. And his clothes…**wear what makes you happy**—Daphne's words. Shaggy has followed her number one fashion rule. A green shirt and brown bellbottoms with black shoes. It was comfortable and he liked it. So why did one nasty comment from a girl who obviously didn't know him or his friends make him feel bad?

_Maybe_—a very tiny voice in the back of Shaggy's mind says—_maybe it is because she's right_. Shaggy immediately drops the idea, but the seed has already taken root. Why _would_ Daphne hang out with him? Or care about him the way he cares about her? Or even look in his direction? She's perfect, in Shaggy's eyes. Plus she's got Fred. Fred _Jones_, who's apparently "a wonderful specimen of the perfect teenage boy" according to Jessica. But Shaggy doesn't dwell on it. Daphne's his friend. A_ really good _friend. She likes him for being open about his quirks. She would never hate him for who he is...Right?

Too deep in thought, Shaggy is completely oblivious to someone approaching until they are right in front of him.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy clutches his heart. He looks up to see Young Master William standing in front of him. William is staring at the beatnik with disapproval before bringing his gaze up and past him. Shaggy glances back to see that the debutantes have finally noticed his presence. He gulps, praying an actual monster will come and scare them all so he can run from this very, very, very uncomfortable situation.

He gets something better.

"William? What are you doing here?" Daphne has come, confusion written clearly on her face. She had said fifteen minutes and she meant it. The allotted time has passed. She approached the debutants to tell as such but found them preoccupied. "What's going on?"

Young Master William drops his angry expression and replaces it with a dazzling smile. "Ah, there you are, Daphne. I was sent over here by your parents to find you and bring you back home. There are more matters to be discussed."

Daphne sighs. She is visibly disheartened. "Yes, of course. Let's go then." All the debutants rush—as fast as a lady is allowed to rush—to the awaiting limo. Young Master William hangs back, extending his elbow for Daphne to take. Daphne smiles at him. It's almost painful how obviously fake the grin is. As Daphne continues facing him she deliberately sidesteps and takes Shaggy's arm. William glances between the two. Shaggy gulps. He's already on William's bad side. This helps nothing. But on the plus side, Shaggy thinks dreamily, Daphne is holding his arm again. Much to the beatnik's relief, William leaves after giving a small bow to Miss Blake.

A large groan emits from Daphne. And with it she drops her head to rest it on Shaggy's shoulder. Shaggy freezes, not wanting to disturb her more. But his concern speaks for him.

"Like, are you ok, Daph?" he asks. Worry is evident in his voice.

"No," Daphne mumbles. "Shaggy, I'm sick of this. Debutante balls aren't supposed to be stressful. They're supposed to be fun. And I am _not_ having fun."

"But Daph, it isn't the ball yet."

Daphne trembles slightly. At first Shaggy fears she may be crying, but his fears are unfounded. Daphne is laughing. That soon becomes quite clear. Shaggy chuckles with her but cannot see what is so funny.

"I'm—I'm sorry," Daphne gasps through bouts of laughter. "It's…you're right. Ha ha! It's not the ball. It's just the planning! Planning is always stressful. How could I forget that? Thank you, Shaggy. Ha ha! Sorry. I'm not laughing at you. Really! You're the best."

Daphne again embraces her friend. She lingers in the hug, taking full advantage of the warmth and _contentedness_ she feels. When his arms timidly wrap around her, she smiles against his green shirt. Fred's hugs may be energetic and carefree, but Shaggy's are always comforting and strong in their own way. With all that's been going on she needs that strength, and she doesn't want to give it up by letting go. But the car horn sounds, signaling for the moment's end.

Daphne sighs and pulls away. She smiles at Shaggy whose pale skin is now crimson. She can't help but giggle. The sound breaks Shaggy's reverie. He smiles back.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Shaggy," Daphne says. Then she's gone; in the limo being driven away—back to the pressure and anxiety she is now sure she can get through. Just _one more day_.

Shaggy watches the car turn and disappear around a corner. He can't seem to be rid of the ear-to-ear grin on his face. But, surprisingly, it has no trouble leaving when he remembers his hotdog and finds it nowhere to be seen. A familiar laugh can be heard fading in the distance.

"_Scooby-Doo! Where are you?_"


	4. Chapter 4

**Whew! Sorry for the long wait. Turns out, the higher the grade in school, the more time it demands from you. BUT it's done. YAY LAST CHAPTER! I hope you enjoy. I _really_ hope so. Tell me if you do. Tell me if you don't. Either way, review please! **

* * *

**Debutante Dramatics**

**Chapter 4 **

* * *

"Hold on a minute, sweetums. Scooch in closer to Velma. That's it. Freddie, square your shoulders. Scooby, stop scratching at your bowtie. You'll mess it up. There! Now hold still."

"Mom!" Shaggy groans.

"Smile," Mrs. Rogers chimes, showing off her own teeth as an example of what she wants from the children.

The three kids and canine smile _yet again_ for _yet another_ picture. Shaggy's cheeks were getting tired. His mother means well; buying him the best tuxedo, helping him make sure he has it on right, keeping food away from him until the party so as not to stain the flawless material, but when it comes to major events, she sure could be annoying when wielding her camera. Worst of all, she has the other cooing mothers on her side. They stand behind her, commenting about how adorable their children are.

Mrs. Rogers has done nearly every possible grouping for pictures there is: Fred and Shaggy, Shaggy and Velma, Fred and Velma and Shaggy, Fred and Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, everyone together, each person individually…and it went on and on. Shaggy's almost thankful Daphne isn't there with them. The pictures would take twice as long with an even larger amount of possibilities. The only thing keeping the doting mother from sneaking into the party is Daphne's guarantee that the eager mother will receive copies of the pictures the professional photographer will take.

"Mom, we have to get going, like, _now_," Shaggy says for the third time. He glances at the clock on the wall. If they left now they would be halfway between when the doors open and when the debutantes are supposed to have their grand entrance.

"Oh, alright." Mrs. Rogers snaps one more unexpected picture of the group. "You all just look so adorable."

"Such handsome boys we have," Mrs. Jones says to Mrs. Rogers.

"And a lovely flower of a daughter," Mrs. Dinkley says, clasping her hands together in an endearing manner.

"Rey!" Scooby-Doo pipes up.

"And a fine-looking dog," Mrs. Dinkley amends.

Scooby sits up straighter and smiles. "Rank rou."

"Yep. We're amazing. You have wonderful kids. It's a miracle. You did a flawless job of raising us." Fred says. As he brown-noses the mothers, he takes Shaggy and Velma's arms and guides them to the door. The others get the idea and disappear out the door. Fred is on their tale. He has the doorknob in hand as he says the last few words. "But because you raised us right that also means letting us out into the world now and then. For that we thank you. We will be home around midnight. Promise. Goodnight!"

With that Fred shuts the door, successfully cutting off the affectionate mothers from further embarrassing statements. He sees the others waiting for him at the end of the walkway. He quickly catches up to them, and what's left of the gang sets out on its way.

Although Daphne's house was a short walk from Fred's, it didn't help Velma any. Her shoes were higher than what she was use to, making it difficult to walk anywhere—at all.

"Jinkies, why did I let my mom talk me into wearing these?" Velma mutters as she stops to fix the strap on the back of her shoe. "Oh that's right, because she said they matched my dress," she says in a mocking voice. Usually it's Daphne who's the one to convince her to try bolder outfits, but never more than the brainiac can handle. But these shoes were too much.

Velma staggers as she fumbles with the shoe. Fred is there to steady her.

"Don't feel so down, Velma. I think you look great. Shoes an all," Fred says, offering his arm to Velma who has no hesitation in taking it. She blushes significantly, doing a very good job of matching the color of her over-the-shoulder crimson dress that hugs her form until flowing out from her hips down to her knees. Suddenly the shoes are the best thing she owns.

Shaggy gives a secretive grin to Scooby-Doo who rolls his eyes and grins back. The beatnik then discreetly checks his inside jacket pocket once again. Yep, Daphne's gift is still in there.

The destination soon comes into view. The large, extravagant house is lit up with white lights. Cars and limos come and go, dropping off guests who have shown up wearing ornate gowns and pristine suits. Shaggy suddenly feels self-conscious. He looks down at his clothes then checks his slicked hair to make sure everything is in place. The last thing he wants is to embarrass Daphne. He glances over at Fred and is slightly jealous of how at ease he seems to be.

They show the doorman their tickets. Daphne followed through on her word. Scooby-Doo is invited. He is on the list, therefore, allowed in. The doorman doesn't even give him a second glance. Shaggy is grateful. It also gives him hope that nothing will go wrong. And no monster will show up randomly and kidnap one of the debutantes. You'd be surprised at how many events were ruined that Mystery Inc. was at because of a random villain swooping in.

"Wow. It's beautiful," Velma says.

The house is decorated lavishly. The room is dimly lit with white lights and candles spread across the vast area, giving the room an elegant, almost romantic feel to it. Tables covered with white tablecloths and pink flower centerpieces surround the large space set apart for dancing. On the far side of the room is a line of tables filled covered with horderves with a seven tiered white cake on the end. That is where the four friends head to first. There is a long array of different food choices, each with a delicious aroma. Scooby ties a napkin around his neck and grabs a fork and knife, but before he can dig in Shaggy pulls him back by the collar.

"Easy, Scooby-Doo. We promised, remember?" Shaggy says.

"Raw." Scooby's head dips and he takes off the napkin. Shaggy feels his best friend's pain. He wants sample all they can get their hands (paws) on too. His mouth waters in anticipation. But he has to pace himself. He fills a plate for himself and Scooby, not going over the limitations Velma helped him set. No more than five appetizers each and two drinks. That's what Shaggy has, but boy, does he want more. The four friends take find their seats. It's a small table with a nice view of the dance floor.

A waiter walks by. He lowers a tray to them. The four friends each take a glass of club soda. Shaggy notices the host and hostess chatting with guests. Nearby are Daphne's four redheaded sisters.

Velma notices where the beatnik is looking. "Wow. Haven't seen them all together in a while."

"Yeah," Fred agrees. "What is each of them doing again?"

"Daisy's in school to become a doctor. Dawn is already an international model. Dorothy is training to be a racecar driver. And Delilah is in the Marine Corps."

"Whew, they sure are motivated. No wonder Daphne sometimes worries about her future."

A pang of sadness sets itself in Shaggy's stomach. Daphne rarely shows her panic about the subject, but it still happens occasionally where she goes on about what her sisters are up to and how she isn't sure what she wants to do exactly, but all her sisters knew exactly what they wanted to do ever since they were little and now they're doing it and Daphne still has no idea because her hobbies don't exactly seem like likely career options and her parents don't approve or disapprove so she isn't sure _what_ they think and…Shaggy can still hear the apprehension in her voice. It's no wonder she wanted things to go well tonight. She needs to show she is on the same path to success her sisters have treaded before her. If not to convince others, then to convince herself.

There is a loud tapping sound. All eyes turn to the top of the stairs. A well dressed man stands atop of the staircase looking down upon the guests below.

"The presentation of the ladies shall now commence." The man moves to the side of the stairs, out of the way. A couple steps forward. Jessica appears at the top of the stairs, standing tall and with a look on her face that tells everyone she thinks she is the most important person in the world. At her side is a well-built young man who has no emotion on his face. He almost looks bored.

"Presenting Miss Jessica Tawny and her escort Sir Maxwell Lonsford," the man says in a loud voice for all to hear. The couple descends the staircase and move to stand next to the railing at the bottom of the stairs.

The second person to be presented is Chloe. Although her shyness keeps her from bringing her gaze up to the audience, she does have a smile on her face. Her escort helps keep her moving forward.

Third and fourth are the twins. Somehow, they convinced their parents to allow them to be presented together. Their inside arms linked with each others' with their escorts on either side of them.

"Daphne's next!" Velma whispers excitedly.

Shaggy's heart begins to beat a tiny bit faster—or a lot faster. His hands grip the back of his chair tightly as he unblinkingly watches the top of the stairs.

Then she arrives.

Shaggy momentarily forgets how to breathe.

There at the top of the stairs like a princess looking down upon her subjects is Daphne. In her strapless white ball gown and white gloves with white high heels to match a simple, yet elegant updo hairstyle, the lovely redhead descends the stairs with grace and poise upon hearing her name announced. She delicately holds the extended arm of her escort but keeps her smiling face to the crowd.

When they reach the bottom of the stairs the rest of the debutantes come to stand beside them. Then together they walk forward to the middle of the dance floor. Forming a circle, they face their partner with hands in place in preparation for the dance. The music begins to play and the five couples begin to sway across the floor.

Shaggy keeps his eyes on Daphne. Her refined movements have him mesmerized. Then a brief moment passes where Daphne looks over to their table. The ever-present smile seems to change to a more intimate one. And for a quarter of a second Shaggy is sure she winked. _At_ _him_. The beatnik feels like he might have an apoplexy right then and there.

The dance soon ends. The debutantes bow to their partner. Once more they are addressed to the crowd before being allowed to mingle among the guests. The gang waits patiently as their fifth member is soon surrounded by people wishing to congratulate her. Eventually she gets herself free and makes her way over to the friends she has missed immensely these past weeks.

"Hey, guys!" Daphne greets. Velma is first to embrace her. The girls exchange a few giddy words about hair and clothes and decorations. Typical girl behavior. When this passes, Daphne gives Fred a brief hug.

"Nice party, Daph," he says jokingly, "but I think I could do without playing dress-up."

Daphne gives him a look that clearly said _deal-with-it_. "Too bad, Freddie. Tell you what; next party will be a pizza and movie party in the private movie theater downstairs. Sound better?"

"Much."

Scooby-Doo nudges Daphne's rather poofy dress. Daphne bends over and pats the dog on the head. Scooby leans forward, but Daphne leans back.

"Sorry, Scooby, but it took me forever to get my make-up perfect and I'd rather you didn't lick it off just yet. I still have to get through pictures."

"Rokay," Scooby-Doo dips his head in obedience, enjoying the scratch behind the ears Daphne gives him.

Shaggy stands rigid. A bad case of nerves have suddenly overtaken him. The most beautiful girl in the world—no, the _universe_—is standing there, staring at him. Wait. Just staring. Why is she staring and not taking, or hugging, or kis—_laughing! _Laughing. Why would she kiss him? Heh, heh. Shaggy tries to drop the thought and instead take up trying to figure out why Daphne simply stands there with wide eyes and a small smile on her face. Is there something on his face?

"_Shaggy?_ Norville Rogers is that you?" The use of his first name is uncommon and most often used to make a point.

"Like, yeah. It's me." Shaggy gives her a half-smile, unsure of where she is going with this. All he wanted was another hug…

"Shaggy, look at you!" Daphne exclaims. "I don't think I've seen you spiffed up like this before."

"Really?" Shaggy racks his brain to think of another situation where he dressed up in front of Daphne. He came up with nothing. "Huh. I guess not. Do I look ok?"

"Ok?" Daphne fiddles with Shaggy's lapels while giving him her famous Blake smile. "Shaggy, have you looked in a mirror? You're downright dashing. How many pictures did your mom take?"

Shaggy laughs, thankful for a change in topic away from the good looks he never knew he had. "Like, I think there's film left somewhere in the world."

Daphne laughs too. "Good. I want a picture of you like this. Who knows when I'll get to see you all gussied up again? Oh, and thanks for leaving some food for the rest of the guests. As a reward, you may have two pieces of cake."

"Thanks, Daphne."

Daphne opens her mouth to say something else, but someone pulls her aside to give their congratulations. The gang moves away to give Daphne to the other guests for a while.

"Hey, Fred," Velma says quietly.

"Yeah?" Fred leans down to hear her better.

"Have you ever seen Shaggy so red?"

Fred looks at the beatnik who is currently re-straightening his suit. A small smile is on his face. Fred finds himself smiling as well. He knows the cause of such a content look. He's seen it before on a few others and now Shaggy as well.

"No, can't say that I have. But I don't mind one bit. I think they'd be good together."

Velma sighs happily. "As do I."

* * *

The night passes and after dinner the time comes to cut the cake. The delicious treat is passed around. Shaggy takes his first piece, hoping Daphne will comment on this and demand he take another. And possibly another if he's lucky. Hey, five appetizers and two drinks is not enough to sustain a growing teen for long. Especially one as hungry as Shaggy.

Daphne's word is never broken. She personally brings over Shaggy's second piece. And to Shaggy and Scooby's delight, a second piece for the Great Dane as well.

"He restrained himself as well," is Daphne's explanation. "It's mustn't have been easy for you, huh, Scooby-Doo?"

"Ruh-uh," Scooby whines through gulps of chocolate cake.

"Then I bet you need more. We have enough left over food. After four other debutantes, my mom knows a thing or two about how much food to order. You and Shaggy may have free reign on the buffet now. Everyone else has had their fill."

"Really? Groovy!" Shaggy says. Patience has paid off.

Shaggy and Scooby stride of towards the remainder of the food. They start at the bottom with the basics, the meats and cheeses for a good foundation then go on to take some of the fancier foods that Shaggy couldn't pronounce the name of if he tried. Soon he and Scooby both have their own plate filled to the brim which becomes a tipsy tower Shaggy has no fear of balancing. With skilled precision he maneuvers his way over to the drinks with Scooby by his side.

But something goes wrong. Just before reaching his destination, Shaggy's foot snags something. With the piled food blocking his view he can't see exactly what it is. The loss of his center of balance sends the plate and its contents up into the air with Shaggy going the opposite way. He falls forward into the table containing the bowl of punch. It topples onto him, the sweet juice soaking him through. The food soon follows, coming down from its short flight to crash onto the floor and the young teen.

Dead silence. Shaggy removes a piece of quiche mixed with cheese dip from its resting place on his eye. He looks up to see everyone staring at him. The light chatter of the crowd has subsided upon hearing the commotion he has caused. He looks at each individual face and sees horror, disgust, and pity. All except one face. To his right is Young Master William. Most people are behind him so the boy doesn't hide his cruel grin, practically giving away his hand—or foot—in this whole affair.

Shaggy turns away from him and sees what he has been trying to avoid all night. Daphne stands there looking at him from a little ways away. Shock and sadness mix in her face. The pain of embarrassment and the fact of knowing he disappointed Daphne sink themselves deep into Shaggy's stomach. The blissful feeling he received when Daphne called him handsome is shattered.

"Raggy?" Scooby takes a step forward to check up on his young master.

Shaggy doesn't take the comfort his faithful dog offers. He leaps to his feet and sprints out of the room and through the house, away from the pain the ballroom now holds. Normally in embarrassing situations he would laugh it off. He is usually very laid back, but tonight was important. He really wanted to be there for Daphne and…be there _with_ her too. But it's ruined.

Daphne finally gets the idea most girls do about Shaggy and it _hurts_. He's fun to have around and good for a laugh, but not dating material. Not worth the time. Shaggy knows this. He has seen the way girls look at Fred when he walks down the hall then whisper when he gives them a smile. Shaggy has never gotten that. And he thought Daphne—beautiful, elegant, lovely, sincere Daphne who is also one of his best friends in the world would maybe see him in the same light those girls see Fred. But no. How could he forget he was _Shaggy_? Scared, lanky, screw-up Shaggy. How could he have been so _stupid_?

Finally, he reaches an exit. Going through the door, Shaggy finds himself in the back garden. It is lit up by lanterns which line the path through the plant life. The beatnik begins to walk down the path. He tries brushing off the food still stuck to him, creating a path of leftovers on the ground. His suit is ruined beyond repair, Shaggy concludes. The red punch has soaked his white shirt and the food will never get out of the material. It's done for. His mom will not be happy.

With a sigh, Shaggy has a seat on one of the benches next to a small pool of koi fish. He watches the small creatures circle around one another, his mind absent of all thought, simply focusing on the memory of Daphne's sad face. The sad face _he_ caused. He couldn't go back in there. He can't face her right now or anyone for that matter. Maybe if he climbed the fence or found a hole between the shrubberies he could escape.

Shaggy was contemplating if he could possibly use a gardening tool from the shed to pole vault over the fence when he hears the small clack of footsteps on the path. He turns to see a white-clad figure approach.

"Daphne!" Shaggy exclaims, surprised. He stood up and automatically tried to clean himself further.

She was the last person he expected to see. What he didn't know was Daphne had told everyone to hang back while she went to talk to him. Scooby-Doo took some convincing, but it is her party after all. She must be obeyed.

"Hello, Shaggy," Daphne says calmly, watching Shaggy fidget.

"Great party." Shaggy gives a forced laugh to hide his nervousness. He realizes his hands are shaking so he busies them by trying to clean his dirty appearance. "Up until the food fiasco, it was a lot of fun. Sorry about that."

"Shaggy—"

"Like, really, _really_ sorry. Heh. I guess I'm a clutz by nature. Always running into stuff; monsters, secret passages, Fred's traps. It's gotta be a gift—or a curse. Like, maybe one of those witches we ran into cursed me." Shaggy shoves his hands in his pockets, an action he rarely does, showing just how insecure he's feeling. He stares at the ground as he continues speaking also beginning to pace unevenly across the small paved area before the pool. "I didn't mean to ruin your debutante ball."

"Shaggy, you didn't—"

"Please don't sugarcoat it. Like, don't even talk about sugar. I messed it up. You were really looking forward to tonight. You put in a whole lot of work. I mean did you see the place? Fancy. Everything's fancy. I don't work with fancy as if my fall wasn't enough of an example. I tried, though. I really tried. The suit was working. Well, at least you told me it looked alright."

"It _does_. Shaggy, you look—"

"But _you_. You look…" Shaggy pauses in his pacing to gaze at Daphne. She blushes under his sudden intense eyes. "Like, beautiful isn't a good enough word. Daph, you're going to be great at whatever you try. I know you are worried about the future and wondering about whatever it is that you're going to do. But you, like, have more spunk than all your sisters combined. You'll be fine. I promise not to get in your way."

"Get in my way?"

"Like, you deserve better than me. You could find a nice version of Young Master What's-His-Face. You could marry _royalty_ if you want to. I promise to be your friend if you still are willing to talk to me after tonight. Or I can take myself out of the picture if you, like, want me to. I am Shaggy after all. I can't promise that I'll be—"

"_Enough_ Norville," Daphne says firmly. She grabs Shaggy's arm to stop his continuous pacing. She was fed up with him putting himself down. "Shaggy you are both right and wrong."

"But, Daph, I—"

"No. I listened to you, now you listen to me. I _am_ worried about my future. I have no idea what I want to do. I've been throwing around different ideas since hearing Delilah say she was joining the Marine Corps. I am more scared of that than any ghoul we could ever encounter. But it is friends like you, Shaggy, that keep me going. Do you have any idea how stressed I was planning this party? I was going insane. Remember when we went mini golfing and talked in the park? Those moments helped me through it. _You_ helped keep me sane, Shaggy."

"But—"

"Uh-uh. No if's, and's, or but's. This is where you are wrong, Shaggy. Do you have any idea how much I care about you? I've known you forever. I know every odd quirk of yours, all your favorite places walk Scooby, what you do in your spare time, and where your favorite places to eat are. I've faced all kinds of monsters with you. I like you for _you_, Shaggy. Do you honestly think after all these years of weird trouble that I would drop you just like that because William tripped you? Yes, I saw William trip you. The jerk! I kicked him out. He is _never_ setting foot in my house again. But I don't care about the mess. I do care that you thought I would drop your friendship like last year's sweater styles. Don't you know me at all?"

Shaggy has dropped his gaze again. Daphne gives an angry huff and grabs his chin with one hand to lift his face up until he looks her in the eye. When he does, she takes her hands and places them in his. Shaggy tries to pull away because his hands are still coated in food bits. Daphne's grip only tightens.

"Shaggy," Daphne says, calmer now, "answer me honestly. Do you want to stop being my friend?"

Shaggy's eyes widen in shock. "Like, of course not. Never."

"That's how I feel about you. I want you in my life, Shaggy. The gang wouldn't be the same without you. _I_ wouldn't be the same. Do you understand?"

Daphne's earnest expression makes Shaggy smile. He did understand. And with the embarrassment passed, he can think clearly again. He could never leave Daphne, or any member of the gang. Mystery Inc. wouldn't be the same without all four teens and their faithful dog.

"Like, sorry for sort of freaking out," Shaggy says, grinning shyly.

Daphne giggles. Ah—music to Shaggy's ears. "You are forgiven. We're teenagers. Freak-outs are a part of the deal. Now can we please go back inside? I put Jenkins in charge of the cleaning so it's probably been done for a while now. I don't care about your appearance, Shaggy—" Daphne says quickly when Shaggy again tries to clean his suit. "Although that suit fits you to a _T_."

"You think?" Shaggy asks.

"Definitely, but…" Daphne gives the beatnik a scrutinizing look before taking a step closer. Suddenly, the redhead is very near him. The thought of a kiss again passes across his mind. But he becomes disappointed a second time when Daphne reaches up and runs her fingers through Shaggy's still slightly damp hair. It had enough gel in it to keep it fairly intact. Shaggy needed a lot of gel to tame his mop-top. "Your hair looks a whole lot better when you let it hang naturally. There. You look very handsome. I like your hair better like this."

Shaggy dips his head in delighted embarrassment but still gives Daphne a smile. Daphne returns the gesture and says, "Let's head back. And since you _did_ ruin the buffet, I declare that you owe me a dance."

"Like, anything for the princess. Allow me, m'lady." Shaggy holds out his arm before remembering it's covered in ruined cake. But Daphne never gives him a chance to pull back. She takes his arm. They begin striding toward the house.

"You know what I'm really looking forward to?" Daphne says.

"What?" Shaggy asks, feeling completely at ease, until finally processing that he is going to dance with Daphne. He crushes the mild panic rising in order to listen to Daphne's response.

"Opening presents. My sisters are all here for a few more days and I get to spend time with them. It's been forever since we all have down time. It's a tradition to open presents together after the debutante ball. Now it's my turn."

"Zoinks! Like, that reminds me." Shaggy quickly rummages in the front pocket of his jacket pocket. He pulls out the envelope containing his gift to Daphne. There is a red stain in the corner of the envelope from the punch, but other than that it is undamaged much to Shaggy's relief. He hands it to a surprised Daphne. "Congratulations, Daphne."

"Shaggy," Daphne breathes. She smiles. Good, she's not mad. Shaggy feared she would be angry after making him promise not to get him a present. "You didn't have to. I told you—"

"I know, but, like, what's a special occasion without presents? Open it."

"Now?"

"Yep!"

Daphne carefully tears open the envelope and takes out the piece of paper. She unfolds it and gives a small gasp. On the paper is a drawing of Shaggy and Daphne. Shaggy's arm is slung over Daphne's shoulders and Daphne has her arm around Shaggy's waist. They are smiling at the real Daphne who is stunned to silence.

"Did you…you drew this?" Daphne asks quietly.

"Yes, I did," Shaggy says happily. "I took one of the old photos of the gang where we were standing next to each other and redrew the two of us. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Shaggy, it's beautiful." Daphne could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Good. I was hoping you would. I know it's not a diamond-studded picture frame, but I thought you could, like, maybe put it in one of them that you get. You know, only if you want. It's up to you. But it's a little stained. I could redraw it if—"

Shaggy is cut off when the air is forced out of his lungs from Daphne's strong and unexpected hug. As happy as he is about this, Shaggy has to object. "Uh, Daph. I'm covered in a waste of delicious food. I'll stain your white dress."

"Shut up and hug me," Daphne mumbles against his ruined suit. Shaggy shuts up and wraps his arms around Daphne. He goes a step further even to rest his cheek against her hair. The stupid grin from the last time they hugged has returned. And it's not leaving this time.

Then something unexpected happens. Daphne breaks away. She grabs the taller boy by the lapels and pulls him down towards her. She presses her lips to the tricky spot that isn't quite his cheek and not fully his mouth. She pulls away and gives Shaggy a tear-filled smile. Black mascara stains trails down her cheeks. Her dress, as the beatnik predicted, is now similarly covered in food. Daphne might hate her appearance right now if she looked in the mirror, but at that moment, Shaggy has never seen anything so wonderful in his life.

"Thank you, Shaggy, for the best present ever."

It takes Shaggy quite a few more seconds before he has processed the phrase then formulated a response through the glee overtaking him. "You're welcome. But, like, it's going to be hard to top the 'best present ever' when your birthday comes."

Daphne laughs and takes his arm again, practically dragging him back to the ballroom. The mess has been cleaned and the room has become spotless once again. Daphne was right. Jenkins has it covered.

By now Shaggy has gotten past the totally shocked phase and is now in the totally, insanely happy phase. They wave to Velma, Fred, and Scooby-Doo who exchange happy and knowing smiles with one another as the couple heads for the dance floor. Daphne places one hand on Shaggy's shoulder and the other in his hand. Shaggy places his other hand on Daphne's waist. Then with a nod from Daphne to the stringed quartet they begins to play and Daphne and Shaggy start dancing. It's not as graceful as before. Shaggy hasn't had the large amount of practice Daphne has, but neither seems to notice or care. They're in too high of spirits.

Over Shaggy's shoulder, Daphne notices the photographer taking pictures of them. She stops dancing and turns Shaggy to face the camera. She puts her arm around his waist and Shaggy places his across her shoulders. They smile at the camera as the flash goes off.

* * *

Daphne's debutante photo album is filled to the brim much like her sisters'. But there is a small difference. The single framed photo tradition of the Blake sister being presented at the top of the stairs is broken. Instead of Daphne and Young Master William, Daphne has replaced it with the picture of Daphne and Shaggy in all their food-covered glory on the dance floor, smiling like nothing could be better than that moment. This is Daphne's third favorite photo. Her second favorite is the one of the entire gang together after the food fiasco, arms slung around one another carelessly. Her absolute favorite photo isn't even a photo. The red-stained, hand-drawn picture of Shaggy and Daphne has the place of honor on Daphne's top shelf in the nicest frame she owns. There it stays for years to come.


End file.
